


The Last Hurrah

by dragonwings948



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Episode: s08e08 Mummy on the Orient Express, Friendship, Pre-Episode: s08e08 Mummy on the Orient Express
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 15:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15888393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: Between the events of Kill the Moon and Mummy on the Orient Express, Clara tries to resolve her anger towards the Doctor while still wishing that he would come back. But one day he does come back, and Clara has a decision to make.





	The Last Hurrah

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like cleaning up some old writing today and I've been having Twelve and Clara feels, so here's this. :)

            Clara Oswald paused outside of her apartment as the plastic handles of the grocery bags she held dug into her palms. Every day for the past three weeks she had secretly hoped, somewhere deep down inside of her, that the TARDIS would be parked in the middle of her living room.

            She sighed and unlocked the door, telling herself over and over again not to hope as she pushed the door open.

            An empty living room greeted her.

            “No more hoping,” she muttered to herself. “It’s not like I’m going to keep traveling with him, anyway.”

            And yet, she had a recurring thought that shook her to her core: what if he never came back?

            She had tried to call the TARDIS to no avail. Maybe he was just as mad with her as she was with him. She had already decided that she was done traveling, but it didn’t mean she wanted him gone out of her life for good.

            “Those eggs are going to get crushed.”

            Clara gasped at the sound of the voice coming from the direction of her bedroom, but her muscles relaxed as her mind quickly registered who the speaker was.

            “They really should hire another bagger. You can’t put the milk on top of the eggs, everyone knows that!”

            Clara ignored him and went to the kitchen to put the grocery bags down. At the sound of his voice anger flared up inside of her again, but at the same time she also felt infinitely relieved.

            “I’m serious, you know. Those eggs are gonners.”

            Clara took a deep breath and turned to face the Doctor, clad in his usual dark coat and collared white shirt. His eyes were wide with insistence, his hands in his pockets as he stood completely at ease in the centre of her living room.

            “Where’s the TARDIS?” she found herself asking, the first thing that came to mind.

            The Doctor jerked a thumb behind him. “Your room. I know you told me not to park it there, but I got the calculations a bit wrong so there it is. Landed on your bed, actually, but don’t worry it’s light enough to—”

            “Where have you been?” She had meant for it to sound accusing, but her voice came out small.

            His smile faded. “I went away like you wanted me to. I thought three weeks was enough time for you to get over it.” He took a step backwards. “Now come on, there’s this planet where—”

            Now Clara made it a point to sound firm, using her teacher voice. “Doctor.” It had the desired effect as he paused. “I can’t…” She pictured all the places she had gone, all the things she had seen with the Doctor. They had been amazing, beautiful, and so worth it, but she had a real life now, and she couldn’t keep going like this, especially when the Doctor treated her like she was nothing.

            “I can’t keep doing this.” She watched his expression turn to confusion. “I can’t keep living two lives like this. It’s too much.”

            The Doctor gestured at her with his hand. “Soldier boy still loves you, and you’ve still got a job. I’d say you’re getting along just fine.”

            Clara shook her head. “You don’t know what it’s like to be on the verge of death one hour and then teaching kids Shakespeare the next. I thought I could do it, Doctor, but I just can’t anymore.” She was careful not to say anything about him being part of the reason she wanted to leave. Though firm in her resolve, the last thing she wanted was another heated argument.

            The Doctor pressed his lips together in a hard line, his gaze dropping to the floor. “Is this still about the moon?” he asked, a little quieter.

            Oh, he really was so oblivious. “No, this isn’t about the moon, this is about _you!”_ The words exploded from her mouth as she pointed a finger at him. She sighed, regaining control of herself. “Doctor, I’ve loved traveling with you, and I don’t regret one minute of it. But there’s a point where I have to draw the line, and that’s now.”

            His expression fell, just a little. He nodded and straightened to his full height. He met her eyes. “So this is it, then?”

            The “yes” was on her tongue, but Clara couldn’t bring herself to say it. Seeing the universe had been her life for so long now, and she didn’t want to give it up just like that.

            “One more trip. That’s all I want. Nothing dangerous, not life-threatening, just…a trip.”

            His lips curved into a small smile. “The last hurrah.”

            Clara smiled a little in response. “Yeah.”

            The Doctor promptly spun around and started toward Clara’s room. “One not dangerous trip coming right up. I know the perfect place.” He pushed open the bedroom door and hopped straight up on her bed. Clara rolled her eyes.

            “Where are we going?” she asked, pushing her annoyance to the side.

            With one hand on the TARDIS door, he looked back at her over his shoulder and grinned. “The Orient Express. In _space.”_

* * *

Much later, after the Orient Express was no more than little bits of metal floating through space, Clara leaned her head on the Doctor’s shoulder as they sat in a tiny unknown corner of a planet, skyscrapers visible in the distance.

            “I’m sorry.” The words had been forming in her heart since the first moment she had shouted at him. She hugged his arm. “Thank you for coming back.”

            “Even though the trip was dangerous?” he asked, the hint of a smile in his voice.

            Clara chuckled. “What would a trip with you be without danger?”

            “So…you liked it, then?”

            Clara recalled the adrenaline, the fear, the anger, the distress. The _excitement._

            “Yeah,” she said quietly, knowing deep down that she could never give up this life with the Doctor. “I loved it.”


End file.
